A diagnosis of chronic bronchitis is made only after a complete evaluation and history and physical is done by a qualified health care professional. This will help to determine the type and severity of chronic bronchitis you have and the most appropriate and effective treatment plan for you. An important question your health care provider will ask is how much you have smoked in your lifetime and your exposure to lung irritants. It is very important to answer these questions as accurately as possible.
Diagnostic testing can include lung function tests, such as a spirometry test, which measures how much air you are able to move in and out of your lungs. This easy, painless, and noninvasive breathing test is often done regularly to monitor how well treatments are working. A chest X-ray and CT scan of the chest may be done, which can evaluate a number of factors, including the presence of other conditions that may occur with or exacerbate (worsen) chronic bronchitis, such as pneumonia and congestive heart failure. An arterial blood gas test is a sample of blood taken from an artery with a needle that measures many parameters of effective breathing, including the oxygen level in your blood. In addition, a sample of your sputum may be tested to check for a bacterial infection in the lungs.
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